Tom Gilbert: ‘We’ll be ready round one’

The Dolphins’ Tom Gilbert says the side will look to take positives out of tonight’s loss in the NRL Pre-Season Challenge and vows they will be ready for South Sydney in round one.

Footy fans packed Kayo Stadium for the final round of the NRL Pre-Season Challenge which brought a double-header to Redcliffe.

The Broncos beat the Bulldogs 30-14 in the curtain-raiser, in what was a dominant display, pleasing a large contingent of Broncos fans in the crowd.

The main event for the majority of the 10,023 crowd saw the Dolphins and Titans face off, with the Titans too good for the home side in their 26-18 win.

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It may have been ‘just a trial game’, but it felt like the start of the season at Kayo Stadium, which was packed with fans many of whom relished the chance to dress up in their Dolphins finest and watch their team play again.

They roared as the Dolphins ran out, a moment which meant plenty to Gilbert as he made his return to the field after two seasons cut short by injury.

“I couldn’t have been luckier to play my first game back at our spiritual home. It was such a great feeling,” Gilbert said after the game.

“It’s a privilege to play football but it’s also a privilege to be a Dolphin and to be playing here at our home ground. The best thing is we get to do it again in two weeks’ time at Suncorp.

“I’m very lucky and very grateful and I can’t wait for what’s next.”

Gilbert’s time on the field was limited, as was the coach’s plan from the outset, but he showed confidence in his involvement from the very first tackle.

“It felt really good. Obviously, I wanted to get involvement first and that was my goal. Once that was done, I felt really part of the game,” he said.

“When you’re defending, you have to be on all the time, so I was forced into it which was a good thing.”

While the team and fans would have loved a win, as they prepare for the start of the 2025 NRL season, Gilbert said there were plenty of positives they would draw on.

“It was a mixed bag, obviously, but our first hit-out as a group. I think there’s a lot of positives to take from it. We’ve got to take the positives from it and move forward. We’ll be ready round one,” he said.

“There are a few things to fix up but we’re going to be a positive team, look forward and keep working on and focusing on what’s important next.”

Highlights were tries to Jake Averillo and two to Mark Nicholls, which delighted the crowd.

There are couple of injury concerns following the game, with Jack Bostock expected to have scans on his knee after a mid-air collision.

Daniel Saifiti also left the field with a hamstring issue.

For those fans who noticed ice on Tom Gilbert’s knee after half-time, don’t worry … it was a precaution and part of his rehabilitation process. He said it was AOK and there was no sign of ice when we spoke to him!

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Photos by Dominika Lis